Visa is at the centre of a cashless revolution more than 55 years in the making.

History of Visa

Our journey

Visa’s journey begins in 1958, the year that Bank of America launched the first consumer credit card programme for middle-class consumers and small to medium-sized merchants in the U.S. It did not take long for the company to grow. The company expanded internationally in 1974, and introduced the debit card in 1975. In 2007, regional businesses around the world were merged to form Visa Inc and, in 2008, the company went public in one of the largest IPOs in history. In 2016, Visa completed the acquisition of Visa Europe. Today, Visa operates in more than 200 countries and territories with products and services available on any device – cards, laptops, tablets and mobile devices. We continue to evolve, but our focus remains the same – to be the best way to pay and be paid, for everyone, everywhere.

Milestones

1958

BankAmericard

Bank of America launches BankAmericard, the first card with a ”revolving credit” feature.

1976

Visa is born

BankAmericard becomes Visa – a name that sounds the same in all languages.